18 The Otome Syndicate
Everyone looked at each other.
Some already had red cheekbones from drinking.
Hinata, who was sitting facing the mansion, shouted,
"Look, someone has arrived at the house."
Haruki jumped out of his chair and turned in time to see a figure lowering itself. They ran into the mansion and faced the newcomer.
A man of about forty-something, thin and a little more than six feet tall. He was wearing a rather antiquated suit with an apron and rubber gloves. The man stopped cleaning the kitchen sink when they entered and stood by the door with their jaws dropped.
He solemnly introduced himself,
"I am Ita, the butler. I am in charge of cleaning and general housekeeping. Included are the activities of cooking, washing, and ironing for you. There is a fixed menu for each day of the week, which cannot be changed. " Mr. Ita-san had responsible features and a respectful stance.
"Oh how wonderful, I'm finally saved! Ita-san, my dirty clothes are in my quarters," said Hinata, happy that the chief engineer introduced a servant to the house. And he was now free from any household chores, but mostly because he wouldn't have to wash the smudged clothes.
"I'm sorry to ask, but here I can't tell the difference. Ita-san, are you a person or a program?" asked Haruki, testing the waters before anything else. After all, he had already gotten into a sticky mud a few hours ago for jumping to conclusions. Regardless of whether he was a man or a machine, Haruki was sure, Ita-san was a spy. And this activity was his primary goal in the house.
"I am a program generated and managed by Okami, the AI that maintains this virtual bio space."
"Hoooo! Oh my God, you are a virtual android!" Hinata exclaimed, impressed.
Getting closer to see the details. Ita-san didn't seem to mind the kawaii kid's exaggerated proximity. But, Hinata wasn't the only one impressed in the kitchen.
The group was also astounded at the perfection of the virtual android in behaving like a human, Haruki realized.
"Ita-san, can Okami free us from the game?" Haruki asked, testing the AI.
"Yes," was the simple answer from android.
"So I want to leave, please," the singer asked politely.
"You have to stick to your schedule to have access to the exit, Miyake Takao-san."
Haruki was confused for an instant. Not knowing who Miyake Takao would be, but then he remembered the character's profiles. Asking to be sure,
"Am I Miyake Takao?"
"Yes, you are Athlete Miyake Takao-san."
"Hm, Itan-san please define 'Miyake Takao's schedule's ultimate goals'" Haruki controlled himself not to curse or yell at a machine.
"Win Niko Sawada-chan's heart."
It wasn't what Haruki wanted to hear, but he already sensed it. And Niko Sawada-chan should be the name Abe Miyu would have adopted to play.
"Ita-san, who am I, and what is my schedule?" Saito asked.
"You are CEO Nichimura Koichi-san, your schedule is to win Niko Sawada's heart."
Everyone looked at each other again, but this time not everyone had red cheeks. Jun's face, for example, was whiter than chalk, out of fury. The baker huffed out of patience for their experiences with Ita-san,
"I won't stay here talking to a machine. I refuse to be treated as a character," and left.
Those who, like Haruki, were happier with alcohol, were now completely sober again, due to the impact of reality.
They were stuck in the game and would be forced to play for their freedom.
They had placed there an android in the mansion to keep an eye on them.
Haruki announced, annoyed by the blatant disregard they were being treated with,
"I'll wait until 7:00 pm to talk to Honda-san about Mr. Ita-san. Right now I need a shower and some time to digest the events."
*********
In the shower, his mind worked nervously on what he had seen. As far as he understood, the game schedule remained the same. Regardless of whether they were living human beings. Or were they no more?
A dark thought took shape in his mind, a cruel thought, 'Did I die? Is this conscience stolen by Okami all that is left of me?! '
Haruki's heart hurt, he punched himself in the chest to dispel the pain and chase away those horrible defeatist thoughts. These intense sensations made all the pain and fear the boy was damming, to break free. Thick, copious tears fell down his face
The singer put his head under the shower to hide the crying. His muscles were shaking intensely. Hiccups came in waves, and he fought as hard as he could to make no noise.
He could not bear to see Saito witness his misery.
It would only increase his shame. Haruki hated to show weakness. And he knew how dangerous it was to be fragile among predators.
The more he struggled to contain his emotions, the more sobs came out of control. After what seemed like an eternity, Haruki managed to contain himself.
He dried off quickly and went to get dressed. He came across Saito in the closet
Without knowing if the adventurer saw or heard anything, Haruki didn't know what to say. He thought of an excuse, in case he had seen it.
He decided to claim it was the influence of alcohol. But when Haruki got in front of the older man, who was also getting ready, the excuse died in his throat. Haruki could not say anything.
Saito without looking said,
"We need to be alert for the meeting with Honda-san, I made coffee for everyone."
The boy nodded and went down. From Saito's behavior, Haruki was sure he knew what happened in his shower.
Punctually at 7 PM, everyone was in the game room waiting for Honda-san to show-up.
After five minutes, they started to worry. Ten minutes. After fifteen minutes, no one else could restrain themselves and everyone was complaining indignantly at the disrespect of the chief engineer.
The strong coffee that Saito had made a little earlier, had invigorated and awakened their minds to be in a good mood for the meeting. But caffeine plus frustrated anxiety made them uneasy.
The influencer Daisuki asked for attention, managing to stop the cacophony reigning in the room.
He put his ideas to the group.
"Okay, I propose to have a leader, and this person shall speak to Honda-san on behalf of everyone. Thus, in Honda-san's brief appearances, our time could be better used to get things that benefit us, not them. And we need to focus on our needs objectively.
The group nodded, as the suggestion was indeed a good idea.
The influencer asked, "Let's vote. Simply put, raise a hand to yes. If the majority agree with the idea, the chosen spokesperson will represent us in the next appearance of the chief engineer."
Haruki suspected that this idea was Saito's since he noticed that Daisuke never once said 'my idea', always referring to 'the idea'. And the singer even knew at the time that this idea was presented to Daisuke. That was when Saito asked him to talk privately in the kitchen.
The group didn't seem to care, or just didn't comment on the fact.
The idea was voted and approved unanimously. Haruki was the last to raise his hand, cautious.
Thus, they moved on to the second phase of the proposal: who would be the spokesperson for the group.
Haruki waited to hear Daisuke suggest Saito's name. Proposing that for his history of the adventurer, and for being a man with a lot of experience in situations of tension, with his almost thirty years and bla bla bla, thought the singer.
But to his amazement, the influencer suggested Haruki's name!
"Me?" asked without understanding the singer, because he was the chosen one.
"Yes, you Haruki. And I will explain why you are my choice. You had good questions, and you were the one who got Honda-san's only direct answers. So, whoever agrees our spokesperson must be Haruki-san, raise your hand," Daisuke followed his schedule without wasting time, proving himself to be an expert in influencing people.
Haruki looked with apprehension, since he wasn't sure of himself at this moment and his self-esteem was low. But, what he saw there were all the companions of misfortune raised their hands, looking at him expectantly.
"Haruki-san, do you accept to be 'our voice' at meetings with Honda-san or whoever comes?" Daisuke conducted the meeting with skill, leaving no loose ends.
Haruki felt the pit of his stomach tighten. But he also felt flattered they had entrusted him with this important task.
"Yes, I accept and I will do my best," he bowed, thanking, "Thanks for the trust."
"So, let's go to the group's agenda," said Daisuke.
Laughing, Haruke let himself be infected with the good energy of the influencer. He needed to have everything in mind for when the music played.
Mr. Ita-san brought snacks, but silence received his brief appearance.
The singer went for a night walk. He still didn't want to go to bed. This would be his first night sharing a bed with Saito-san and he was embarrassed because of the uncontrolled crying.
The night was pleasant, the temperature mild, the breeze soft. All over the island, there were flowers of all sizes and colors. But the sky was such a sight to admire. The designers and programmers did an amazing job. It was awestruck.
Looking at the sky and lost in thought, Haruki ran into someone. The impact made him falter and almost fall, while the other person also lost her balance, falling backward.
But the singer had honed and sharp reflexes. Haruki regained his balance and with an agile movement, grabbed the other person's waist.
"Oops!" he exclaimed, laughing spontaneously, while still keeping the light and fragile person in his arms. Their eyes met.
He blinked, stunned. Haruki didn't expect this person to be there in the dark.
In his arms was Abe Miyu.
Or rather, Sawada-chan.
